New Delhi, India (BBN) – At least 26 people were feared dead and four others wounded on Sunday after a bus plunged into a swollen Chenab River in India-administered Kashmir.
The accident occurred on the day when the driver lost control of the 26-seater bus, carrying over 30 passengers, and swerved off a mountain road and plunged into the river in the Doda district, about 111 miles (180 kilometers) from the state’s capital Jammu.
District police Chief Prabhat Singh told reporters that the bus rolled down 500 feet from the highway into the swollen Chenab River on Sunday morning.
The police chief also said that the Indian army has launched a rescue mission but “the rapid current and deep water are hampering the operation”.
In South Asian including India, most of the accidents are blamed on reckless driving, poor maintenance of roads and ageing vehicles.
BBN/SS/SI/AD-08June09-2:02 am (BST)
